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Welcome to the first edition of the Melbourne LLB Newsletter for 2009. The purpose of this publication is to inform you of key issues and events related to your studies. If you need any further clarification on anything, please contact the Melbourne Law School Student Centre on 8344 4475, or the contact listed.
welcome from maureen tehan, associate dean (undergraduate)
Along with my colleagues who teach in the LLB program and those working in the Melbourne Law School Student Centre, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all our returning LLB students.
As with 2008, this year, 2009, will be a year of change and transition for the Law School (and the University). I, and my colleagues, remain committed to ensuring that the teaching and learning environment at the Law School and the LLB program is intellectually challenging, interesting, engaging and supportive. Our aim is to provide an environment in which you can achieve your potential and your goals.
I encourage you to take advantage of many of the opportunities that the LLB program provides including the Guest Lecture Series, the Legal Internship subject, the CTLS Program and the Student Exchange program.
The Law School provides a number of services to assist you achieve your goals both as part of the formal program of study or beyond the classroom.
I urge you to take advantage of the resources in the Law School and University, including the Law School’s equal opportunity liaison officers, student counselling, learning support services and study groups. If you have any concerns, seek help to address them.
The Office for Teaching and Learning in Law is located in the Law Library. Please contact the Office if you are experiencing difficulties with your study.
In 2009 there will be some significant changes to the operation of the LLB. Some of these have been as a result of changes to University policies. We have introduced others to improve the LLB program. The main changes include:
Special Consideration
In the past, one of the outcomes of Special Consideration could be a recommendation of a mark adjustment.The University has changed its policy and from 2009 recommendations for mark adjustments without additional assessment will no longer be an option available to the LLB Special Consideration Committee. Adjustments to marks will only be possible after additional assessment.
Refer to Course Rule 13: Special Consideration for further information.
Supplementary Assessment
From 2009, supplementary examinations for all Semester 2 LLB subjects will be held in December following the release of results.Further information and details of dates will be provided in due course via the LLB website.
Online Submission of Assignments
From 2009 all assignments will be submitted online via the Assignment Tool unless advised otherwise.A link to the Assignment Tool will be available in the left-hand menu in the Learning Management System (LMS/Blackboard) subject pages for all subjects. Detailed submission instructions will also be provided on subject pages.
Stream Changes
In cases where streams are full and you do not meet the criteria for a late change of stream, for example, carer’s duties, you will need to arrange to swap with another student from the stream in which you wish to register.You can try to locate a student wishing to change streams by:
- Using the Stream Change conversation thread in the subject's LMS page or
- Sign up on the sheet in the Law Student Centre
- Please do not use the subject email lists.
Administrative Grade Changes
The University has introduced some changes to the way it records grades on student records and transcripts. These come into effect in 2009.The changes do not affect passing grades other than the description for ungraded passes which are rarely used in the LLB. The changes are descriptive and you may notice some new descriptions on your record. The new grading scheme is designed to differentiate between the various types of withheld grades available. It is the responsibility of the coordinator, or coordinators delegate, to ensure the correct grade is provided to the Results and Assessment Coordinator.
Further details are available in the new University Assessment Policy available from the Academic Services Policy website.
Course Planning
It is vitally important that you seek advice from the Law Student Centre on any changes you plan to make to your program of study to ensure that you will be able to complete the requirements for your degree in the context of subject final offerings.Further details about the planned offerings of compulsory subjects and the optional program are available on the Course Planning Information webpage of the LLB website.
As the Associate Dean (Undergraduate), I have a number of responsibilities associated with running the LLB program. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries about your studies and the LLB program.
My term as Associate Dean concludes on 30 June 2009. Associate Professor Ann O’Connell will take on the role of Associate Dean (Undergraduate) at that time.
Associate Professor Maureen Tehan, Associate Dean (Undergraduate), tel 03 8344 6205, Room 0856, email m.tehan@unimelb.edu.au
meetings with associate dean (undergraduate)
Associate Professor Maureen Tehan, Associate Dean (Undergraduate), will be available to answer questions and discuss any issues students may have in relation to any aspect of the LLB at informal meetings to be held every fortnight during Semester 1, 2009.
You are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain information on your course, discuss difficulties, make suggestions, and generally contribute to ensuring the LLB program works well and meets your needs.
The first meeting will be on Thursday 12 March 2009 and they will be held every two weeks (please note there will be no meeting on 23 April 2009). The meetings will be very informal and you can come along at any time between 1:00 and 2:00pm. The venue is Room 108, Melbourne Law School. Details of further meetings can be found on the online LLB calendar of events.
course materials for semester 1
Printed course materials are available for sale from Room 0217 on Level 2 of the Law School.
Materials can be purchased at the following times:
10:00am to 4:30pm from Monday 23 February to Friday 13 March 2009.
To find out the cost of the materials, please download the course materials price list.
EFTPOS facilities available - Debit and Credit
Alternatively:
1. collect order forms from Room 0217;
2. pay the amount indicated on the order forms at the National Australia Bank, Parkville campus only;
3. collect the printed material from Room 0217 upon presentation of the order forms receipt.
Course material is also available for student reference from the Legal Resource Centre.
International and Australian full fee, Exchange, Study Abroad and CAP students are not required to pay for course material.
What does a General Counsel and Company Secretary do in a Global Economic Crisis?
Speaker: Ms Gail Hambly, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, John Fairfax Holdings Limited
When: Tuesday 3 March 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: GM15, Melbourne Law School
Being a Solicitor-General
Speaker: Mr Michael G Sexton SC, NSW Solicitor-General
When: Tuesday 10 March 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: GM15, Melbourne Law School
The International Role of the European Union
Speaker: Professor Panos Koutrakos, Professor of European Union Law, University of Bristol
When: Wednesday 18 March 2009 at 1:00 to 2:00pm
Where: G08, Melbourne Law School
The Guest Lecture Series is a series of weekly lectures in law and legal practice for Melbourne Law School students. All LLB students are invited and strongly encouraged to attend all lectures in the Melbourne Guest Lecture Series.
Details of all forthcoming Guest Lectures for Semester 1, 2009, are available online.
key thinkers seminar series 2009
Key Thinkers is a series of public lectures held every Thursday evening during the teaching semester. Academics from the University of Melbourne, with occasional guests, will give an hour-long talk on internationally well-known thinkers whose works have inspired their own. This will be followed by thirty minutes of questions and discussion. This is a cross-faculty initiative and the thinkers are chosen from very diverse fields and disciplines. The lecturers are all highly experienced presenters and the content of the lectures will be aimed at a lay audience but with enough complexity to also appeal to more specialized listeners.
Further details and a schedule are available in the flyer.
international women’s day lecture
How We Know What We Know - Does Gender Make a Difference?
Speaker: Justice Marcia Neave (Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal)
When: Wednesday 4 March at 1:00 to 2:00pm (refreshments included)
Where: Room 102, Melbourne Law School
Her Honour will speak on her experiences as a legal professional, and broader questions about women’s difference in the quest for legal equality.
International Women’s Day is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. International Women’s Day aims to celebrate the achievements of women, while also recognizing that obstacles in equality continue to exist.
creating a constitutional court for a new democracy (annual seabrook chambers lecture)
The Asian Law Centre and the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies will host the Annual Seabrook Chambers Lecture.
Speaker: Professor Dr Jimly Asshiddiqie, Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia
Further details are available in the seminar flyer.
When: Wednesday 11 March 2009 at 6:00 to 7:00pm, refreshments from 5:30pm
Where: Room G08, Melbourne Law School
RSVP: Please register online.
melbourne conversations (professor tony anghie)
Join a discussion with a prominent lecturer and author from the University of Utah. Tony Anghie, Samuel D Thurman Professorship, received a BA (1986) and an LLB (1987) from Monash University. He earned his SJD (1995) at Harvard Law School, where he also served as a senior fellow from 1993 to 1995. Professor Anghie completed an internship with the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC in 1994. His research interests include public international law, international commercial transactions and human rights. He practised for several years in Australia in employment law, administrative law, and international law.
Professor Anghie joined the SJ Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, in 1995. He has taught at the University of Tokyo and the University of Auckland and he lectures frequently in Sri Lanka.
When: Thursday 12 March 2009 at 5:00pm
Where: JD Lounge, Level 6, Melbourne Law School
The Conversation will be hosted by Professor Dianne Otto.
Places are limited. If you wish to attend, please RSVP Helen Green.
Conversations are open to Melbourne Law School students only.
state building and international law: problems, paradigms and prospects (lecture)
Speaker: Professor Tony Anghie
Professor Anne Orford (Melbourne Law School) will chair the event and Professor Gerry Simpson (Melbourne Law School) will act as a discussant.
In recent years, international organizations have become heavily involved in territorial administration and 'state building’. This presentation reviews some of the recent literature which examines and assesses the legal issues that international territorial administration presents to the international system, and the different principles, doctrines and procedures that have been developed as a response. It then considers how this 'law of international territorial administration' relates to broader issues of sovereignty, governance, development and security, and the relationship between current legal models and historical precursors.
Further details are available in the flyer.
Please register online for this event.
All welcome!!
When: Wednesday 25 March 2009 at 6:00 to 7:30pm
Where: Melbourne Law School
Contact Person: Vesna Stefanovski on (03) 8344 6589
Applications are now open for the following Melbourne Law School scholarships and prizes:
The Alistair Nicholson Memorial Scholarship, which is to mark His Honour’s distinguished career and his commitment to social justice, including advancing the interests of indigenous Australians, is awarded to an indigenous undergraduate student based on significant academic achievement and financial need. The scholarship is valued at $2,000. Further details are available by clicking here. The closing date for applications is 27 March 2009. Click here for an application form for this prize.
The Deborah and Colin Golvan Prize, named for Colin Golvan, SC, and his wife Deborah Freiberg in recognition of their commitment to education for indigenous students, offers tangible support to an indigenous student to successfully complete their LLB study. The prize is donated by the Leo and Mina Fink Fund in recognition of the financial difficulty faced by indigenous students undertaking undergraduate study. The Leo and Mina Fink Fund benefits worthy educational programs within Victoria. The Deborah and Colin Golvan Prize is awarded to an indigenous undergraduate student based on significant academic achievement in the face of adversity. The prize is valued at $1,000. Further details are available by clicking here. The closing date for applications is 27 March 2009. Click here for an application form for this prize.
The John and Alison Kearney Overseas Scholarship for students undertaking an exchange or study abroad. Further details are available by clicking here. The closing date for applications is 27 March 2009. Click here for an application form for this prize.
The Victorian Bar: Justice Kenneth Hayne Scholarship will be awarded to a law student based on academic ability and demonstrated financial need. A scholarship valued at $4,000 will be awarded. Further details are available by clicking here. The closing date for applications is 27 March 2009. Click here for an application form for this prize.
Further prizes may become available shortly and will be advertised in future editions of the LLB Newsletter and on the LLB website.
For enquiries, please contact Roger Nelson, Advancement Officer, Melbourne Law School, tel 03 8344 4498, email renelson@unimelb.edu.au
Linklaters London Information Session
Linklaters is the innovative, global law firm that advises high-profile clients on their most challenging transactions and assignments. They have been running a clerkship program in London specifically for Australian students for 7 years, and the success of their program continues to grow. If you’re considering a career in law and would like to know more about what makes Linklaters different, they’d like to meet you.
More information about Linklaters is available online.
When: Wednesday 11 March 2009 at 1:00 to 2:15pm
Where: Woodward Conference Centre, Level 10, Melbourne Law School
RSVP by 4 March 2009 at ahmeds@unimelb.edu.au
Graduate Careers Fair - Big Fair Out
Careers & Employment will shortly host the annual Graduate Careers Fair.
This is the perfect occasion for final year students to speak with graduate employers directly and uncover the vast array of career opportunities available after university. Also, one lucky student will win a $1000 travel voucher for STA Travel!
Employers will be representing an array of professional areas such as accounting, investment banking, law, management, government, engineering, IT, and manufacturing.
The Graduate Careers Fair is an opportunity to expand networks, plan for life in the professional workforce and should not be missed.
When: Wednesday 11 March 2009 at 12:00 to 4:00pm
Where: Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens
Enquiries: Maureen Hardwick, tel 03 8344 6554, email maureenh@unimelb.edu.au
victoria law foundation legal policy internship program 2009/10
The Victoria Law Foundation offers an internship program for law students with a career interest in:
What you will get out of it:
Where you might be placed (see the Victoria Law Foundation website for a full list of participating organizations)
Applications close on Thursday 16 April 2009. Interviews are conducted in early May. A decision will be made in early June for both mid-year and summer placements.
Applications details are available on the Victoria Law Foundation website.
melbourne journal of international law recruitment
The Melbourne Journal of International Law (MJIL) is now recruiting the following positions for our 2009 Editorial Board:
All interested students are strongly encouraged to attend our Recruitment Information Session on Wednesday 4 March 2009 at 1:00pm in Room G08. This session will provide interested students with the opportunity to find out more about MJIL and the membership recruitment process.
Applications Packs are now available from the Law Student Centre and the MJIL office on Level 2. Application Packs contain further information about the application requirements for each position as well as detailed position descriptions.
Applications are open to all law students. Applications are due on Friday 13 March 2009 by 5pm.
If you have any questions in relation to the positions or the recruitment process, please contact the Editors at law-mjil@unimelb.edu.au.
Laura Bellamy, Sara Dehm and Jeremy Leung
2009 Editors
Sauvé Scholars are highly motivated independent thinkers under the age of 30 with demonstrated skills as agents of change, who are offered a unique opportunity to spend nine months away from their studies, careers or other formal commitments, for a period of reflection and self-realization – both personal and professional.
In August of each year, a dozen young men and women from around the world gather in Montreal – one of North America’s most vibrant international, multicultural cities – to embark on a rewarding personal and intellectual program combining reflection, study, travel and community engagement along with participation in conferences, seminars, cultural and sports events.
The academic home of the Sauvé Scholars is internationally-renowned McGill University, in the heart of Montreal, where the student body of about 33,000 includes students from some 160 countries. Through a formal Memorandum of Understanding, Sauvé Scholars enjoy a unique status at McGill: they may audit courses at the undergraduate or postgraduate level (but not for credit) and may participate in the array of university activities and facilities for every taste and interest.
Further details are available on the Sauvé Scholars website.
diversity week 2009 - applications now open
Monday 16 March to Friday 20 March 2009
Applications are now open for students and staff at the University of Melbourne to apply to be part of the Diversity Week program. This can include any activity that celebrates the importance of issues such as cultural and linguistic diversity, gender, disability, religious diversity and more. Further information, including applications for a mini grant, can be viewed online.
law institute of victoria film night fundraiser
The Law Institute of Victoria's Administrative Law and Human Rights Refugee Law Reform and Young Lawyers Community Issues Committees present:
Film Night Fundraiser - Special Screening of A Well Founded Fear
A Well Founded Fear follows Phil Glendenning as he travels through Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Canada, in search of asylum seekers who have been rejected and sent home by Australia.
The film night fundraiser is designed to raise awareness about deportation of asylum seekers and their stories after leaving Australia, to discuss Australia's international obligations in relation to accepting refugees and the principle of non-refoulement along with refugee law in practice in Australia and the basis on which asylum seekers are either accepted or rejected.
Following the screening of the film, Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO, Asylum Seekers Resource Centre will lead an interview style discussion with a leading authority on international refugee law, Professor James C Hathaway, Dean, Melbourne Law School.
When: Wednesday 11 March 2009 at 6:00 to 8:00pm
Where: LIV Lecture Theatre, 470 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Cost: (inc GST)
$ 15 - YL Members
$ 20 - LIV Members
$ 30 - Non-Members
Cost includes light refreshments.
Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre to support their vision in being able to provide essential services and build independence.
To register for this event, please download and complete the details on the flyer.
short film competition - pro bono uncut
The
National Pro Bono Resource Centre has launched a short film competition to increase awareness of, and participation in, pro bono, particularly amongst law students and young lawyers.
They are seeking original short films, in any style or genre, that highlight how pro bono helps to provide disadvantaged people with access to justice.
Australian residents with a creative flair and an eye for social justice are encouraged to submit an entry to the competition.
Entries must be received by 5pm on 11 June 2009 and must be accompanied by a completed Entry Form.
The NPBRC will appoint a panel of experts from a variety of fields, such as the legal sector, academic sector, as well as filmmaking, to judge the entries and select a national winner and runner-up.
The winners will be announced at 1pm (AEST) on 1 July 2009 at the NPBRC and published on the NPBRC website.
Prize Money
There will be two prizes awarded:
Full entry details are available online.
Melbourne Law School has won the 2009 Australian Round of the Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. The Melbourne team comprised Seamus Coleman (LLB), Dave Heaton (LLB), Sienna Merope (LLB), Felicity Ryburn (JD), and Sonja Zivak (JD), each of whom presented extremely impressive and persuasive oral submissions in Canberra. The team was coached by Associate Professor Andrew Mitchell and Associate Professor Tania Voon.
Melbourne emerged from the preliminary rounds ranked first among a field of 15 teams, having faced Macquarie University, Monash University, Murdoch University, and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The team went on to defeat Macquarie in the Quarter-Finals in the Family Court of Australia and entered the Semi-Finals ranked first, where it prevailed over UNSW in the Supreme Court of the ACT. The Melbourne team won the Grand Final against the University of Western Australia in the High Court of Australia on Saturday 8 February 2009, in a unanimous decision by Chief Justice Robert French, Professor Hillary Charlesworth, and Dr Christopher Ward.
In addition to bringing home the Jessup Cup and Harold Snelling Prizes for winning the competition, the team was awarded Best Respondent Memorial and Third Best Overall Memorial. Dave Heaton was named the Best Oralist in the Final. For the preliminary rounds, Seamus Coleman received the Third Best Oralist award and Sienna Merope the Sixth Best Oralist award.
The team is delighted with these results and relieved to be taking some time off after a gruelling summer in the Law Library. Their awards are all very much deserved and reflect their hard work, intellectual capacity, superb written and oral advocacy skills, and dedication to public international law. The team and its coaches are grateful to Dean Hathaway and Melbourne Law School for supporting them in this endeavour. Thanks also to Mallesons Stephen Jaques for its generous sponsorship, and to the many individuals who assisted in various ways leading up to the regional competition. The team will now proceed to the International Rounds in Washington DC from 22-28 March 2009.
The Jessup Moot Team 2009 (left to right - coach Associate Professor Tania Voon, Sienna Merope (LLB), Felicity Ryburn (JD), Sonja Zivak (JD), Dave Heaton (LLB), Seamus Coleman (LLB),
and coach Associate Professor Andrew Mitchell).
looking for funding for your master of laws?
Postgrad Solutions is offering two LLM Study Bursaries, each to the value of £500, to students starting an LLM degree anywhere in the world in 2009.
To apply, simply:
Deadline for entries is 18 August 2009.
Still looking for an LLM?
To search an international database of Master of Laws degrees, get information and advice on choosing an LLM, write a study blog and chat to other law students, check out the Postgrad Solutions website.
Please send any feedback/comments or suggestions you have about this newsletter to Tom Hewitt-McManus.
previous editions of LLB newsletter
Previous editions of the newsletter are available on the Melbourne LLB website.
